Aldrich Materials for Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Applications

Material Matters Volume 4 Article 2

A fuel cell is a battery-like system that uses hydrogen and oxygen to generate electricity by an electrochemical reaction. Similar to other batteries, the fuel cell consists of two electrodes (porous anode and cathode) and an electrolyte (Figure 1).

Figure 1

In Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs), the cathode and the anode are made from porous ceramic materials and the electrolyte consists of a dense oxygen ion conducting ceramic. This allows SOFCs to operate at high temperatures around 1,000°C (1,830°F) and to reform hydrocarbons internally, thus enabling the use of natural gas or reformed diesel as fuel.1

The high-temperature operation places rigorous durability requirements on cell components. Therefore development of low-cost materials with high durability at high temperatures is the key technical challenge for SOFC technology.2

Aldrich Materials Science offers a variety of materials that can be used for the preparation of cathodes, anodes and electrolytes for SOFC applications. Our product portfolio includes a variety of Yttria Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ), Lanthanum Strontium Manganite (LSM), Gadolinium doped Ceria (GDC) and other ceramic materials specifically designed for SOFC applications.